Nokia N97 - an exceptional piece of technological engineering, designed for people on the move! With a 3.5 inch tilt touch screen and 32 GB of on-board memory, N97 users can download and watch quality videos with ease.
With the integrated A-GPS and electronic compass, the N97 intuitively knows where it is at all times.
Just when the Nokia Nseries appeared to have reached its pinnacle with the fantastic Nokia N96, they go one better and produce the amazing N97.
In truth, this highly anticipated mobile is quite a departure from the aforementioned N96, but that is certainly not a slight on the Nokia N97's credentials as leading smartphone/ PDA/ Pocket PC. Whatever you choose to define this device as - we'll stick with smartphone - it is undoubtedly an exceptional piece of technological engineering, designed with people who are forever on the move squarely in mind.
The 3.5" TFT touchscreen display, which rolls back to unveil a full QWERTY keyboard, is probably as good a place to start as any. Once again Nokia have managed to build a highly evolved phone around an impeccable screen, although on this occasion with the added functionality of a physical keypad. The sleek and uncomplicated exterior hides a far more complex mix of gadgetry and applications within the N97; but needless to say the design is as simple as it is conventional, stylish enough, but not a huge departure from the tried and trusted formula used in other Nokia handsets, a la the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.
It features all of the usual suspects in terms of multimedia applications. Video, music and pictures are all catered for in the N97's media player. The camera follows a well-trodden path with regards to phones in the Nokia Nseries, continuing a theme of 5MP devices, which although unoriginal, could never really be seen as a negative. It has become the standard-bearer on all their smartphones, and whilst there are more powerful cameras available, for an easily accessible point and click device, it certainly more than lives up to its billing.
Continuing Nokia's trend for integrating more and more memory in each and every device that they develop, the N97 comes equipped an impressive 32GB of onboard storage. Even if somehow this isn't enough, the MicroSD slot will allow you to add an additional 16GB worth of capacity should you need it. The N97 also runs from the updated v9.4 Symbian Operating System, giving greater performance than ever before. It features a fast HSDPA connection along with Wi-fi and also comes equipped with the now customary AGPS satellite navigation system; although, if you're forced to do a little orienteering and don't fancy using the onboard map software, then you can always rely on the trusty digital compass provided.
On first appearances the Nokia N97 is much the same as many of its predecessors within the Nseries and has a ruthless simplicity that will undoubtedly appeal to those who enjoy technology but without the flashiness of it all. The dual-layered design allows the top layer to slide back and reveal the invaluable QWERTY keyboard, making the N97 more Pocket PC than most.
The keyboard does add a new dimension, particularly when compared to the N97's closest rivals. Okay, it adds a little more bulk to the overall size of the handset and the keys are still relatively small; there is a more tangible nature to having a keyboard, in comparison to simply swabbing at the screen with a stylus, particularly for those newer to touchscreen technology.
There is nothing overtly flashy about the exterior of the Nokia N97; for many the beauty will lie wholly in its simplicity. The 3.5" TFT touchscreen takes up a good portion of the fascia, only joined by the call function buttons and the power switch/sensor. As is becoming standard with most high end smartphones, the N97 also features an inbuilt accelerometer, allowing the user to change the screen's viewing perspective simply by rotating the handset. This flexibility allows for greater freedom to view documents, images and of course videos in their optimum size.
Within the phone itself, the software and applications follow the well-trodden path of Nokia Nseries devices with a straightforward selection of menus and applications to guide you around. There's nothing too cutting edge within the navigational system and the widgets can be a handful, but you'll easily be able to glide from page to page.
In essence the N97 is much like a condensed mobile laptop. Okay it's not suitable for creating vast word processed documents or state-of-the-art interactive PowerPoint presentations, but it's at this stage that we have to remind ourselves it is still a phone. With high-speed internet connectivity providing access to the full spectrum of online goodies, as well as the fantastic Nokia N-gage gaming functionality, the N97 is a veritable treasure trove of fun and function.
A 3G smartphone wouldn't be a smartphone if it didn't come packed with extravagant extras to distinguish it from the competition. Well once again Nokia have stepped up to the plate and slugged most of their competitors' offerings right out of the park. The Nokia N97 has built on the gadgetry that has propelled predecessors in the Nseries - such as the N96 - into widespread public favour; even, some may argue, eclipsing popular handsets such as the aforementioned offering from Apple and the range of HTC mobiles.
Some Nokia stalwarts might be a little disappointed to see that there has been no development with regards to the onboard camera. The N97 has stuck rigidly to the 5MP snapper with Carl Zeiss optics that has served many of its forerunners so well. Regardless of a lack of real development within the photography department, it still packs quite a considerable punch; particularly when you consider that it is more of an additional extra rather than the main feature. You can get some fantastic quality images, capturing moments wherever you are in the world.
Thanks to the fantastic wireless internet capabilities of the N97, any pictures that you do take can be quickly shared with the world through social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. Online editing equipment can have them retouched and cropped to size, whilst the prerequisite Bluetooth allows you to share files quickly with friends in your locality. It also comes equipped with a second camera expressly for use during video calls, albeit with less quality, but certainly better placed for its purpose.
However, returning to the subject of internet connectivity, this handset features both Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G to ensure that users can keep in contact with the rest of the world wherever they may be. The fantastic 3.5" touchscreen brings the net to life too, so you can expect to browse sites with all the freedom and detail as you might expect on a laptop - albeit with a few obvious exceptions.
In the age of increased efficiency through simplicity, what better way to conserve your battery than an automated proximity based on/off sensor? Likewise when you're lost and need to get somewhere in a rush you don't want to have to rely on the kindness of friendly locals to ensure you find your way. The Nokia N97 comes with a full GPS system and a touchscreen version of their Maps software, appropriately entitled Nokia Maps 2.0 Touch, which will help you track down any location from wherever you are in the world at any one time.
Finally one of the most obvious design features is the full QWERTY keyboard, revealed when you slide the top section of this dual-layered mobile backwards. Unlike other mobiles where you might get a standard numberpad or even an on-screen digital display in the case of touchscreen devices, this is almost a carbon copy of the type of keyboard you'd find on any laptop or PC; particularly handy if you are forever misplacing letters whilst using predictive text or tire of endlessly dabbing away at the screen with a stylus.
Every square millimetre of the Nokia N97's frame appears to have been crammed with some kind of technological gadgetry. At its heart is a huge storage capacity of 32GB, the size of memory that you'd be more than happy to have in a home PC not all that long ago; here you can store images, hours of movies and days worth of music, not bad for a phone.
Nokia have wheeled out the latest operating system for the N97 to run off in the form of the Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60. As the primary system to challenge Microsoft's condensed version of Windows used on devices such as the iPhone, it copes with the rigours of a multi-application, multi-functional smartphone with aplomb. Lag is minimal when browsing through the labyrinth of menus and applications, although the widgets used throughout tend to be a little overcomplicated and underdeveloped.
It would hardly be a Nokia Nseries phone without a decent camera bolted on, and sure enough the N97 presents the increasingly familiar site of a 5MP as part of its repertoire. Coming with all the usual exceptional Carl Zeiss optics, this isn't a huge departure from their previous efforts, which although not entirely original, does give credence to the old adage 'if it aint broke don't fix it!' Sure enough this mobile, as with its predecessors, produces a fantastic quality image, particularly for a device where the camera isn't the main feature.
Users are able to capture film - at a rate of 30 fps - as well as great quality still images in all light conditions thanks to the flash. There's a quick fire editing program installed in the N97 which will allow you to make changes to your images on the move; meaning that they'll be ready to upload to your social networking sites and fire across to friends throughout the world.
The internet is an integral part of every day life, and for many people living without it is unthinkable. The N97 comes with its own plethora of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi and 3G. Wi-Fi allows you to tune into a local wireless hub, assuming that is of course you have the designated rights, to enjoy surfing the net for free. The HSDPA connection, which offers up to 3.6mbps, is always on hand in areas where Wi-Fi isn't available, providing continual connection wherever you are.
Onboard GPS can be used in conjunction with routefinding software, such as the Nokia Maps 2.0 Touch application installed on the phone, to get a quick fix on your location and work out exactly how to get to your intended location. With the touchscreen technology that the 3.5" TFT display offers, there are far more options available at your fingertips, quite literally. As with the overall display and navigation, the screen can be used to bypass certain fiddly features and provide a far more hands on, interactive experience in all areas of the phones usage, but not least in terms of using the maps.
There's nothing particularly revolutionary about the way in which the navigation of the N97 is set up. Nokia users will be well accustomed to the straightforward and uncomplicated layout that greets them on this particular addition to the Nseries. However, the one overriding addition is of course the touchscreen functionality. Never before featured on a device in the range, and following hot on the heels of the fantastic Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, it adds a whole new dimension to the way in which the N97 can be operated.
Icons and menus can be manipulated simply by dragging your fingers across the screen. Coupled with the perspective altering accelerometer, the touchscreen functionality breathes new life into the Nseries functionality, speeding up and simplifying the way in which users find their way to the application or feature there are looking for.
If you're looking to use your N97 as a PDA or even a compacted laptop, it really comes into its own when you roll back the screen to reveal the QWERTY keyboard. Okay, the dual-layered phone is hardly anything new and it does add to the overall size of the mobile, but in this case it certainly seems like a sacrifice worth making. Typing anything, be it an email, text or even a full word processed document, is simplified to a level whereby anyone with even a remote knowledge of a standard keyboard layout. Due the overall surface area of the N97 you might well imagine that the keys are going to be reasonably small, which of course they are; however most will probably take a little bit of inconvenience over the arduousness of predictive text or the use of an onscreen digital keyboard display and a handy stylus or finger.
The Nokia N97 Black is a device full of features, exceeding the vast majority of its supposed rivals, and as such the simplicity engrained in the design and navigation almost comes as a welcome relief. Undoubtedly the touchscreen capabilities bring a great deal to the N97, particularly when compared to previous models such as the N96; this therefore represents the most significant leap forward for the phone and the Nokia Nseries in general, providing consumers with the most up-to-the-minute technology in one fantastic looking package.
You may also be interested in the Nokia N97 phone in silver/white.